I decided to make this post in honor of Dolly Parton because I always use “I Will Always Love You” as an example when explaining something I probably explain 100 times a week to writers and producers: the two sides of a song and the two separate copyrights. It’s one of the most fundamental concepts in the music business, but also one of the most misunderstood. A song can become one of the biggest records in the world, be recorded again decades later, generate entirely new revenue, and the underlying composition is still its own copyright. That distinction affects ownership, publishing, royalties, licensing, splits and who gets paid when money is generated. You don’t have to know every technicality of the music business. But if you create music, you should understand what you created, what you own and how it makes money.

Be kind to people. All people. Not because of who they are, what they have, or what they can do for you, but because kindness should never be conditional. I’ve always believed that the purpose of having is to give, whether it’s your time, knowledge, resources, love, or opportunities. And somehow, life has a beautiful way of returning what you pour into others, often in ways you never imagined. Givers are great receivers, but the greatest blessing is having something worth giving and a heart willing to share it. 🖤

If you don’t genuinely love artists and producers, I don’t even think I can be around you. Because if you don’t have love for the people I dedicate a lot of my life to serving, I can’t imagine you having much love for me either. Under God, That’s who I serve. That’s who I believe in. That’s who I stand beside. 💯⭐️🖤

A major label A&R person hit me and told me he connected with a producer who had been sending him beats. He saw my name in the producer’s bio and said, “I know we can work if Jerome represents him.” Man listen. Your credibility and reputation enter the room before you do. The relationships you build, the way you conduct business, and how you treat people really matter in this industry. Shout out to the producer and the label rep. And much love to the producers who proudly claim me as their manager. Y’all might not even realize it, but that association goes both ways. It helps us both build credibility, relationships, and opportunities. Love y’all!!! 🖤

I’m about to start taking prospective artist clients to business meetings at restaurants and making them stand on the table and announce to everybody that they’re going to be one of the biggest artists in the world. At this point, that might be the only way I’ll believe they really want it as badly as they say they do.

Artists don’t want it like they used to. I’ve got a talent buyer looking to book an artist for $30K flat. I reached out to a few artists who are already doing shows in that same price range and couldn’t even get a response. Meanwhile, I reached out to an artist who’s doing $150-$300K+ per show, and he responded almost immediately. It’s interesting how an artist making almost ten times as much is demonstrating the kind of responsiveness you’d expect from someone still trying to establish themselves.